Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood

A mesmerizing memoir from a literary legend, giving readers a new perspective on the origins of Hatchet and other famed survival stories.

His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival adventures. Now, beloved author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.

An entrancing account of grit and growing up, perfect for newcomers and lifelong fans alike, this is the famed author at his rawest and most real.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Published: 01/12/2021
Pages: 368
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780374314156
Age: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.9
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 511602 / Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/26/2020
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2020
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2020
Booklist 12/01/2020 pg. 37
Shelf Awareness 11/23/2021
School Library Journal 02/01/2021 pg. 93
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2021 pg. 123

About the Author
Gary Paulsen (1939-2021) wrote more than two hundred books for children and adults, including the recent father-son comedy How to Train Your Dad, and the survival adventure Northwind. Three of his novels--Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room--were Newbery Honor books. In 1997, he received the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. His books have sold over 35 million copies around the world. garypaulsenauthor.com